Yellow. Beyond Van Gogh’s colour is the first exhibition to explore what the colour yellow meant to Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. Furthermore, an installation by Olafur Eliasson provides a unique experience of this colour.

Van Gogh discovered the colour yellow while searching for the bright light and warmth of the sun in Arles, in the south of France. He wrote to his brother Theo:

Sunshine, a light which, for want of a better word I can only call yellow – pale sulphur yellow, pale lemon, gold. How beautiful yellow is!

Art, fashion, music and literature

The exhibition opens with Van Gogh’s most famous yellow masterpiece, Sunflowers, before exploring art, fashion, music and literature around 1900. It explores questions like: What is yellow? How does yellow feel? What does yellow smell like?

You will discover how artists such as Van Gogh, Marc Chagall, William Turner, Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint gave meaning to the colour yellow. Traditionally, yellow was the colour of the sun, but artists also used it to express deeper meanings, emotions and ideas. In literature and fashion, yellow was associated with everything that was modern, daring and decadent.

What does yellow sound like?

Especially for this exhibition, students from the Conservatory of Amsterdam created new compositions inspired by works on view in the exhibition. You can listen to these captivating pieces during your visit or via the playlist.

What does yellow smell like?

Three olfactory designers from the Robertet group based in the south of France, developed three unique scents for this exhibition. They used natural ingredients like citrus, bergamot, and camomile. The fragrances add an extra dimension to the experience of the art works and the colour yellow. At the exhibition you can cast your vote for the scent that you think best captures the essence of yellow.

Installations by Olafur Eliasson

Immerse yourself in a striking light installation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (1967) and experience the colour yellow in a unique way. This installation has never before been shown in the Netherlands.

In the exhibition, you can also view the enchanting Who is afraid yellow flower ball from 2006.